Mainly Norfolk: English
Folk and Other Good Music

Linden Lea

My Orcha'd in Lindèn Lea was written by Dorset writer and poet
William Barnes (1801-1886). It was first published in 1859 in
Hwomely Rhymes: A Second Collection of Poems in The Dorset Dialect,
and was then entitled My Orchet in Linden Lea.

The second edition of this book, published in 1863 as
Poems of Rural Life in The Dorset Dialect, Second Collection,
saw the title amended with ‘Orchet’ respelled ‘Orcha'd’
and a grave accent added to the ‘e’ in ‘Linden’.

Colin Thompson sang Linden Lea
in 1980 on his Fellside album
Three Knights.

These exquisite words were written by 19th century poet, William Barnes,
in his beloved Dorset dialect, and set to music by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
I recorded this song many years ago, and am pleased to have done so
again—I will never tire of singing it.

This lovely poem by the nineteenth century poet William Barnes is a favourite
from Hilary's childhood when she knew it in a different setting by
Vaughan Williams. It was written in Barnes' local Dorset dialect which,
not being from that corner of England herself, Hilary does not attempt!
The sentiment of the last verse in particular still resonates today.
We recorded it a few years ago to the Vaughan Williams tune
but were unable to get permission from his estate to release it,
so here it is in a new setting.

Fay Hield sang Linden Lea
in 2013 on The Full English's eponymous Topic album,
The Full English.

Ollie King sang Linden Lea
in 2017 on his CD
Diffractions.
He commented in his liner notes:

I learnt the melody of this song from my good friend Owen Woods (it appears
as an instrumental on his incredible album
In Any Weather),
and first heard the song proper from The Full English. It is a setting of
William Barnes' 1859 poem My Orcha'd in Linden Lea,
and was originally written in Barnes's native Dorset dialect. It's a song
that has comfortably entered the folk canon, and as such at times has suffered
from the rigours of the folk process. I've gone back to Vaughan Williams's
original, and attempted to use his original scoring as much as possible.

Lyrics

My Orcha'd in Lindèn LeaWilliam Barnes

Linden LeaRalph Vaughan WilliamsWords by William Barnes

'Ithin the woodlands, flow'ry gleäded,
By the woak tree's mossy moot,
The sheenèn grass-bleädes, timber sheäded,
Now do quiver under voot;
An' birds do whissle auver head,
An' water's bubblèn in its bed,
An' there vor me the apple tree
Do leän down low in Linden Lea.

Within the woodlands, flow'ry gladed,
By the oak tree's mossy moot,
The shining grass-blades, timber-shaded,
Now do quiver underfoot;
And birds do whistle overhead,
And water's bubbling in its bed,
And there for me the apple tree
Do lean down low in Linden Lea.

When leaves that leätley wer a-springèn
Now do feäde 'ithin the copse,
An' païnted birds do hush their zingèn
Up upon the timber's tops;
An' brown-leav'd fruit's a-turnèn red,
In cloudless zunsheen, auver head,
Wi' fruit vor me, the apple tree
Do leän down low in Linden Lea.

When leaves that lately were a-springing
Now do fade within the copse,
And painted birds do hush their singing
Up upon the timber-tops;
And brown-leaved fruit's a-turning red,
In cloudless sunshine, overhead,
With fruit for me, the apple tree
Do lean down low in Linden Lea.

Let other vo'k meäke money vaster
In the aïr o' dark-room'd towns,
I don't dread a peevish meäster;
Though noo man do heed my frowns,
I be free to goo abrode,
Or teäke ageän my hwomeward road
To where, vor me, the apple tree
Do leän down low in Linden Lea.

Let other folk make money faster
In the air of dark-roomed towns,
I don't dread a peevish master;
Though no man may heed my frowns,
I be free to go abroad,
Or take again my homeward road
To where, for me, the apple tree
Do lean down low in Linden Lea.